Enchantment
Enchantment (奇術 Kijutsu) is the tribal martial art of the Majin tribe; a band of nomadic desert dwellers who live on ----- Island. It is well known among the island for its dance-like movements and exotic aura about it, as well as legends of Enchantment users being capable of conjuring magic through their fighting. It was originally created and developed within the Majin tribe out of necessity, in order to drive off highwaymen and wild predatory animals that would otherwise be a constant nuisance and danger to a nomadic desert tribe. However, out of the growing conflict and mutual animosity between the Majin and the people of the ----- kingdom, the fighting style has become more militaristic over time, with it leaning more towards defending the tribe against the -----, as opposed to natural self-defense. The fighting style itself is rather complex, yet simple at the same time, and remains mostly exclusive to members of the Majin tribe, especially those of the warrior castes. As previously noted, the modern form of Enchantment as it is today takes its origins from belly dancing, as the Majin felt it necessary to hide their fighting style from the -----, by masking it as simple dancing and entertainment. While in reality, the belly dancing helped to improve weak points in the original fighting style as well. The fundamentals themselves revolve around acrobatic and agile footwork, mixed with clever use of the hands and posturing of the body for maximum maneuverability; making the style similar in appearance to capoeira and Black Leg Style. For offense, and given the dance-like appearance of Enchantment, users focus heavily on their legs and feet when attacking opponents, thus also making the style appear similar to taekwondo. Additionally, the role of the user's arms and hands is also meant for blocking and parrying strikes, leaving the feet free to counter attack; where the rest of the body, particularly the torso and abdomen, are to be rocked rhythmically in the same fashion as that of belly dancing, putting a large focus on the user's hip, rib cage and shoulder movements to guarantee total efficiency. This also ensures that the opponent will not only be distracted and allured by the beautiful movements, but that their strikes will be less likely to hit, making this addition to Enchantment similar in nature to the Rokushiki technique, Kami-e. There are also much more potent, advanced techniques available to Enchantment users. These abilities appear to be the source behind the rumors of the fighting style involving magic. Skillful practitioners of Enchantment can make use of the belly dancing motions to lull enemies into a pseudo-hypnotic trance, which can then be strengthened and supported through the use of trained vocalizations, to fully enrapture a foe into a dream-like state, separated from reality. However, it has been noted that the Majin are incapable of true magic, and have never claimed to be capable of doing so, but that their illusions caused by their dance-like fighting style has given them the reputation of being magicians and wizards, among other things. Some have even been shown using this reputation to their advantage, claiming they know sorcery to an extent, in the hopes to use psychological warfare to ensure victory. This ability to create hallucinations through visual and audible stimuli has become infamous among the Majin's known enemies for its ability to lure unwary and foolish victims into a false sense of security, or even to allow themselves to become manipulated, leading to their defeat. Illusions can vary greatly, depending on the individual it affects, or even the subliminal messaging implied through certain vocalizations, such as referring to hot or arid adjectives to make the victim believe they're in a desert. Other hallucinations have involved blissful scenes, such as a garden of flowers blooming to distract foes, or altering the appearance of the Enchantment user for psychological warfare purposes. In some cases, the hallucinations are so grand or believable, that victims will feel physical pain or pleasure from what they see, depending on the person and the illusion in question. Though despite the effectiveness of the optical illusions, they are nothing more than that; simply hallucinations. Therefore, those who aren't affected by the illusion will only see those who are affected as crazy due to reacting to images that aren't truly there, among many other possible reactions to the outlandish responses of the victims. Due to the effectiveness of the Enchantment style, members of the Majin tribe rarely allow outsiders to learn or gain knowledge of it without explicit permission, or special circumstances. Additionally, it can be considered uncommon, albeit not entirely unheard of, for those beyond the warrior castes of the tribe to know Enchantment; as was seen in the special case of teaching Mut Mizu, of the diplomatic caste Mut clan, in how to use Enchantment to defend herself. It's also been shown that in certain cases, Enchantment has been learned through indirect methods, and even at times, directly from Majin members themselves, if they feel they can trust the knowledge of Enchantment to those who seek to learn it. Technique Lists Mut Mizu = Mizu is considered an exceptional case as an Enchantment user among her tribe, as she was born within the Mut clan, known to be diplomats and aristocrats amongst the tribe, and not warriors. Having been exiled from ----- Island for her own safety, Mizu was accompanied by Enchantment practitioners, who eventually decided to teach her Enchantment to help her defend herself when in danger; despite Mizu being unwilling and hesitant to accept it at first. As a result of Mizu's lack of warrior experience, Mizu is considered a weaker user of Enchantment; albeit still clearly capable of holding her own when necessary. After parting with The Jolly Pirates and promising to meet them again and join their crew as an official member, Mizu went to work at honing her skills in Enchantment for the next two years. She is currently still seen now and again adamantly practicing her techniques when not at peace talks with the -----. It was revealed that after the time skip, Mizu has begun creating illusions with her Enchantment techniques; showing she has become more powerful than before. As to be expected of someone as self-absorbed and proud of her noble status as Mizu is, all of her combat related techniques seem to begin with the word "Noble," to signify her status as such. *'Noble Drill Kick' (高貴ドリルキック Kouki Doriru Kikku): She begins the technique by running or leaping forward with her powerful legs, and then flipping forward upon the palms of her hands before pushing herself off of them and continuing her momentum forward. Upon leaving the ground or floor, Mizu will strongly twist her hips to one side to make herself spin as she flies forward with her legs and feet extended towards her target; a move that is similar in appearance to Luffy's own Gomu Gomu no Storm attack. Like Gomu Gomu no Storm, Mizu will proceed to launch a continuous volley of rapid kicks as she spins in a straight line towards her opponent; resulting in a large number of powerful kicks being thrusted upon the foe's head and body repeatedly. This is reflected in the technique's name, as the motion of Mizu's body and kicks appear similarly to that of a rotary drill as it pierces forward while continuously spinning in place. |-| Set = Coming from the warrior caste, Set was raised and trained in the art of fighting, through martial arts and weapon wielding. As such, Set has a respectable amount of skill in the use of Enchantment. Particularly, Set seems to specialize in the use of hypnotic trances, which only serves as a testament to his expertise in the fighting style. However, Set is also obsessed with the fighting style; specifically the power it can give him over others. And as a result, he has trained extensively in the martial art in order to achieve the ability to cast illusions which the style became famed for. And unlike most of his fellow tribesmen, Set seems to genuinely believe he can cast magical spells on others through Enchantment, even though this is untrue. As Set's growing fascination with Enchantment's power clouded his thinking over time, he slowly became corrupted by the power he sought, to the point where he is now only interested in fighting others and causing mayhem. Realizing the unfortunate implications this could result in for the tribe, the Majin royal family was ultimately forced to exile Set from the tribe, for the safety of the Majin as a whole. It was this action that lead to Set breaking his ties with the Majin tribe. |-| Nephthys = Born into the warrior caste as a half Majin tribeswoman, Nephthys was raised since a young age to become a dependable fighter, soldier and combatant. And as such, she was taught Enchantment to properly defend herself and others. Due to her warrior background, Nephthys is highly skilled in the basic fundamentals of Enchantment. She has gone and further improved her Enchantment techniques by adopting other martial arts and learning to control her awakened Busoshoku Haki. However, despite her adept prowess of Enchantment, Nephthys has yet to show any usage of the illusion techniques; perhaps indicating she has yet to fully master the fighting style itself. |-| Salma Koken = Salma Koken was the other bodyguard assigned to protect and serve Mizu, working alongside ----- in the process. Therefore, it is already justifiably assumed that Salma is a proficient warrior in her own right. Supporting this claim is her highly honed knowledge and usage of Enchantment, which she has studied and honed among the Koken clan of the warrior caste. And much like -----, Salma had ended up divulging her secret knowledge of the fighting style's mechanics to Mizu for her own safety. |-| Baal = Baal is by far one of the most powerful members within the Majin's warrior caste, acting as the tribe's general in times of war, as well as helping to teach children born into the warrior caste in the art of combat and self-defense. His skills with Enchantment itself are considered superb among his fellow warriors, and his strength and power in battle are almost legendary. His kicks became so dangerous and lethal over time that he was soon referred to as "Baal of the Red Trail," due to leaving behind blood stained footprints after a fight. His skills in illusions and evasion are unknown for the time being, but may possibly be of a high caliber as well, given his years of experience and training. Trivia *The name of the fighting style was derived from the word, 'enchantment;' meaning to put one under a chant, spell, charm, curse or form of magic. The name was chosen, due to the djinn/genie theming of the Majin tribe. *Many aspects of Enchantment were heavily inspired from belly dancing; a traditional Middle Eastern form of dance which has gained fame worldwide in recent years. The style of dance is rather relaxed and improvisational in comparison to other dancing styles, as it's only major focus is the movement of the torso and abdomen, and the accentuation of them through the swaying and movement of the arms and hands. **Likewise, the hallucination aspect of the martial art was inspired from tales of djinn (genies) using magic. Given the djinn theme of the Majin tribe, and the name of the fighting style, this portion of the style was added to further play up the theme. It could also be a reference to mirages, given the Majin live in the deserts of ----- Island, where mirages are very likely to occur. *The idea behind using hypnosis and illusions in the advanced forms of the Enchantment style were inspired from Nefertari Vivi's belly dance-like fighting style while as an agent within Baroque Works, and Brook's ability to conjure illusions via hypnotic melodies and music. External Links Taekwondo - Wikipedia article about one of the styles used as inspiration for Enchantment Capoeira - Wikipedia article about one of the styles used as inspiration for Enchantment Kami-e - One Piece Wiki section regarding the Rokushiki technique that Enchantment appears similiar to Black Leg Style - One Piece Wiki article about the fighting style that Enchantment appears similiar to Belly Dancing - Wikipedia article about the basis and inspiration for Enchantment Site Navigation Category:Fighting Styles Category:Wg4 Universe Category:Wyvern 0m3g4